Great West Casualty Company Blog

Every truck driver has a pattern to the way he or she drives. These patterns, or habits, can be good or bad, or more precisely, safe or unsafe. A driver who integrates safety into all of his or her driving decisions, regardless of the environment, has established a pattern of behavior that reduces the risk of a crash. On the flipside, pattern driving refers to practicing unsafe behaviors, such as speeding and tailgating. Pattern driving also can occur when a driver gets too comfortable with his or her route or routines and lets his or her guard down. This type of pattern driving is common when drivers run dedicated routes to the same customers day after day and become complacent. In this case, complacency becomes a distraction, and the driver loses focus of his or her surroundings and the potential hazards that could lead to a crash. Read the list of driving patterns below and ask yourself if there are actions you can take to improve your driving skills.

Slips, trips, and falls are one of the leading causes of workplace injuries. For drivers, these types of injuries commonly occur when improperly entering or exiting the cab and trailer. The result can be quite painful and, in some cases, prove fatal. The key to avoiding a preventable injury is to recognize the hazards that contribute to slip, trip, and fall injuries associated with entering and exiting equipment, and knowing how to protect yourself from harm. Read this information and put the recommendations into practice to help protect yourself and others.

Lane change crashes may be prevented if drivers recognize the hazards that increase the likelihood of a lane change crash and take defensive measures to avoid a loss. Read the information below and ask yourself if there are actions you can take to improve your driving skills and reduce the risk of a lane change crash.

What is Truckers Against Trafficking? Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) is an organization committed to its mission of educating, equipping, empowering, and mobilizing members of the trucking, bus, and energy industries to combat human trafficking. As truck drivers play a vital role in identifying human trafficking situations, being educated on the issue of human trafficking is essential in the fight to end this epidemic.

When a motor carrier starts seeing a trend in vehicle crashes, employee injuries, or even turnover, it is easy to look at the company’s culture as the cause and the cure. All too often, senior leaders look to create the right environment in the hope that it will bring the results they seek. In truth, one cannot directly fix a culture. Culture change comes as the result of making operational changes, sometimes involving painful decisions that affect processes, procedures, personnel, and even the company’s leadership team.

The winter months bring shorter days and increased driving hazards due to adverse weather. The change in season can be difficult to adjust to, especially for older truck drivers. One way normal aging affects older adults is fading night vision. The eye’s retinas function like photo film, reacting to light and images and then transmitting those signals to the brain for interpretation.

HOW DOES CANNABIDIOL (CBD) AFFECT MOTOR CARRIERS? CBD products, which are extracted from hemp or marijuana plants, have grown in popularity in recent years. Currently, each state treats CBD usage differently. This poses a significant risk to motor carriers and truck drivers who are subject to federal drug testing requirements.

A reminder that motor carriers' annual Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse queries are due Jan. 5, 2021.  Per §382.701, employers of CDL drivers must conduct a query of the FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse at least once per year for each CDL driver they employ. If an employer has already conducted a query on all currently employed CDL drivers, that employer has met the annual query requirement for 2020 and is not required to conduct a query for one year from the initial query date. This includes any limited queries, full queries, and pre-employment queries of the Clearinghouse conducted in 2020.

HOW CAN I CREATE AN EMPLOYEE SAFETY INCENTIVE PROGRAM? An employee safety incentive program, if part of a larger risk management strategy, can enhance your safety culture. On the other hand, if not designed, implemented, and managed properly, incentive programs can be a source of contention or irritation, and can lapse into oblivion very quickly. If your organization is considering implementing a safety incentive program, here are some points of discussion that you should consider:

Loading docks are full of hazards that can lead to a serious injury or illness. Below is a list of safe work practices to follow when working on a loading dock. Read this information, and put the items on the list into practice to help protect yourself and others.